Crowds
by Kieno0324
Summary: Lucille hated crowds. But he had a mission and he wasn't going to fail. Slight Lucille/Celes. Post Main Story.


Hello! This is the first time I've wrote anything for this series with the intent to publish it. I will warn readers that I'm a Lucille/Celes fan so that is what this story is. But it can also be looked at as a friendship story if you prefer that. On that, I would really appreciate reviews to know what you all think about this! So please read, enjoy, and review!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kaori Yuuki

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Lucille had always hated crowds. He hated them even more now that he was no longer as confident in his looks or voice. The crack-like scars on his face and hands always drew attention from others. Celes always told him to ignore the looks but it was hard to do so when a person that you would be talking to would stare at the side of your face instead of looking at a person directly. Yes, Lucille decided, he hate crowds even more now that he looked as he did.

It made no sense, then, why he was willingly walking down a crowded market street with his top hat casting a shadow over his features. He had left the rest of the Orchestra on the outskirts of the town waiting in the hearse they traveled in. He had told Kohaku and Gwindel he had an errand to run only so they could inform Celes if she woke from her nap. Lucille felt bad for not telling her directly but she had been fighting a fever for nearly a week and he wanted her to get as much rest as she could.

'_I hate crowds_.' he thought as people bustled around him chattering happily despite the way they were bumping into each other. He continued on his journey as he looked for the one vendor's stand he had braved the crowds to find. He let out a sigh of relief when he finally spotted it. He quickly weaved through the crowd so that he was standing in front of the crystal shop. He found he was able to breathe as he looked at the sculptures sitting in front of him.

"Hello, can I help you?" he blinked at the voice before looking up. A young woman in a work dress and apron was smiling at him from the other side of the stand. He swallowed before looking back at the sculptures. He was after one particular sculpture but he wasn't sure if it would still be there. "Oh! I remember you!"

"Huh?" he looked up again as the woman. He was certain she had caught sight of his scars but she didn't even blink. She continued to smile at him as he stared at her with a slightly open mouth.

"You were with that girl who had the pretty red hair when she was here a few days ago, right?" she said. Lucille blinked again before chuckling. He had accompanied Celes to the market to restock on supplies shortly before she fell ill. Her illness was also the reason they were still stationed on the outskirts of the town. Lucille had refused to stay in a hotel because of his growing dislike of crowds.

"I was." he said shortly. He found he disliked talking to strangers much more than he had before everything changed. He knew it was because of how different his voice was. It wasn't that he disliked talking to people, he disliked the way he sounded. He had confessed as much to Celes once and had come away with a rather large lump on his head. She had told him she would do whatever it took to knock sense into him.

"I bet I know what you're looking for." she told him. He blinked at her again. There was something about her personality that reminded him of Celes. He supposed that was the reason she and Celes had talked for so long when the first met. "You're looking for this, right?"

Lucille's eyes went wide when he saw what was in the woman's hands. It was the sculpture he had been looking for. The fragile crystal had be sculpted into the form of a miniature piano. It greatly resembled the piano that Celes played during the concerts they performed. He gently reached out and took the figure from the woman. As he stared down at the small object he could remember the way Celes's eyes had lit up when she had first seen it. He let out a deep sigh before meeting the woman's eyes. She was still smiling at him.

"How much is this?" he asked. He blinked at the low price she told him. He furrowed his brows at her. "That…seems awfully low."

"It's a present for your friend, right? I could tell she had fallen in love with it when she first saw it. Therefore, I'm willing to let it go since it's obvious it will be going to a good home." she said. He stared for a moment before chuckling lowly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the amount she had requested. He turned away with the sculpture carefully cradled in his hand before stopping as the woman called out to me.

"Mister?" he turned to look at her only to swallow as he saw her smile had fallen from her face. "Remember to always treasure the things that are precious to you."

"Ah. Thank you." he said as he turned away from her. He frowned at the crowd that met his eyes. He let out a defeated sigh before forcing his way through the people as he kept the crystal piano close to his heart. His other hand also had a firm grip on his top hat so that it wouldn't fall off. He groaned as people kept bumping into him as he tried to return to where he had left the rest waiting on him.

Lucille let out a sigh of relief when finally managed to get away from the crowd and saw the gates that would lead him to the hearse. He lengthened his stride and quickly went through the gate. He refused to tell Kohaku and Gwindel how relieved he was to see them sitting outside of the hearse with the back doors open to allow the summer breeze to enter. He also knew they were open so that if Celes woke up they would be able to hear her. Gwindel and Kohaku would never admit to having the doors open for that reason.

"You took long enough." Kohaku accused. Lucille rolled his eyes beneath his hat. He knew he should have expected such a reaction out of Kohaku. The man really didn't know how to do anything else other than complain. Lucille had gotten used to it after the many years they had worked together.

"And yet you're still alive. It would seem my absence didn't kill you, imagine that!" he said with a smile. He ignored the way Kohaku spluttered at him as he made his way to the back of the hearse. He easily climbed into the back only to blink in surprise when he saw Celes sitting at the piano. He watched as she turned to look at him when she heard someone enter the back room of hearse. He had always found it was an ingenious idea to change the back part of the old hearse they had obtained into a practice room that had also turned into a bedroom.

"There you are. I was worried when I woke up and you weren't here. Gwindel told me you had an errand to run…if you would have waited until I woke up I would have gone with you." she told him. He moved over so he was standing beside her as she sat on the piano bench. She looked up at him curiously as he smiled down at her.

"It was something I needed to do on my own. How are you feeling?" he asked. He noticed that her color was better than what it had been for the past few days. He was hopeful that she was beginning to feel better.

"I think the fever broke when I was asleep. You're trying to change the topic. Why did you have to go by yourself? I remember this town being rather busy and you hate being in crowds. Also, what are you trying to hide behind your back?" she asked. He stared at her before sighing with a shake of his head.

"You really are sharp, aren't you?" he asked. She pouted up at him as she continued to try to look behind his back. He continued to shift so she wouldn't be able to see what he was hiding from her. He found it amusing that she was trying so hard to see what it was that he was hiding from her. He jumped back slightly as she stood up while trying to look at what he was holding.

"Tell me what you're hiding!" she cried impatiently. He chuckled at the show of impatient youthfulness. She rarely let this side show and when she did it reminded Lucille of the young girl who had helped him through his darkest time. He shook his head as she stood on her tiptoes trying to look over his shoulder which he knew was impossible. She barely reached the middle of his chest when she stood normally.

"Alright, alright, sit down and I'll show you." he told her. He bit back a smile at the suspicious look she gave him. She sat back down with her back turned towards the keys of the piano. He took his hat off and set it beside her before kneeling down in front of her. She continued to stare at him suspiciously causing him to finally smile.

"I went to get this." he said as he revealed the object to her. He watched as her eyes went wide and her hands flew to her mouth. If he'd had any second thoughts about picking the figurine up they were gone at her reaction. She slowly reached out to touch the crystal piano he was holding. He watched as a bright smile spread across her face.

"You went back to the crystal shop to get this for me?" she whispered. He met her eyes before nodding. She reached out to brush her fingers against the crack marks on his face causing him to stiffen. She was still smiling as she gently took the figurine from him with her free hand. He watched as she held it over her heart as she continued to brush her fingers against his cheek.

"I can't believe you braved that crowd for me. Thank you so very much." she whispered softly.

"I went to buy it in hopes it would make you feel better. I know you've been feeling miserable for the last few days." he told her. She smiled at him before leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on his other cheek.

"Just knowing that you would even think about doing this for me is enough to make me feel better, Lucille." she told him. He watched as she pulled back to study the present he had gotten for her. He felt a smile spread across his face as gently put the small crystal figurine on the closed lid of it's larger counterpart.

'_After what you did for me, Celes, I would brave any crowd for you._' he thought as he watched her stare at the figurine. He was surprised when she turned so she was facing the piano keys. He stood up as she began to play a tune he remembered her practicing many times when they had first me. He sat down beside her as his eyes closed allowing the music to wash over him.

'_Yes, I would brave anything for you so that I can listen to your music_.'

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I hope you enjoyed this story! I couldn't figure out how to end it so I'm sorry if it's a little awkward. Please remember to review! I would love to hear from other fans of this amazing series.


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